Nice catch. But Mozeliak has outright lied about these things in the past. Even about big issues recently. He’d say outright that the topic has not been even discussed and then the next day he’d make an announcement. Can’t trust that.

He’s got a source somewhere in the Cardinals upper levels, he called LaRussa retiring a month before the World Series, and everybody thought he was crazy, but he was right in the end. He could be on to something here, but this one sounds just to good to be true, I expected this to drag out all off season like the Holliday thing did a few years ago when we were bidding against the Orioles and Scott Boras’ Mystery Team. We’ll just wait and see,

At least from the Cards’ perspective, the contract they can offer Pujols goes down considerably after the arbitration deadline. They really need to know whether or not they can afford to tender contracts to Schumaker, Theriot, Dotel, and others. If the arb deadline comes up and they are obligated to tender contracts to a few of those players (please not Theriot…) in order to cover their own behinds, then they have less money to offer Pujols.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Pujols signed before the arb deadline. Every team should know by now (should have known months ago, really…) what they’re willing to spend to have him in their uniform, there’s little debating or negotiating needed. He’s free agent #1 this offseason, no posturing necessary. He takes the highest offer he gets out of the gate, shops that to the teams he really wants to play for to see if they’ll up the anti with a better contract. If not, he signs. Should be pretty simple. Lozano isn’t going to wait out Boras & Fielder signing a contract to improve his leverage.

I’ll have to see it to believe it, but if that were the case, it can only be that nobody is willing to pay him anything close to what they were hoping and its time to take the offer St. Louis left on the table a while ago before its retracted. But again, we’ll have to see it to believe it.

Yeah its hard to say. I don’t know anyone who actually listens to him. Big550 must trust the story though, they text messaged it to their entire phone list like they broke the story of the century. I was simply relying the info.

Pujols should really just sign with the Cards. Great players like A-Rod have held teams for ransoms and create infamous reputations. Pujols is so much better than that. He wouldn’t be robbed at 200MM and is guaranteed a statue out of the deal for being such an icon to the city for years. Am I really the only one who see’s that as more important?

I guess being a Braves fan with so many loyal players over the years has me spoiled.

I agree with you, to often to people get caught up in the numbers and how they add up, sometimes the numbers aren’t the most important things. a revolving door of players, going in and out of a franchise could prove to be successful, but baseball is more than that, its America’s Pastime for a reason. A city and a team are intertwined, every generation has its icons, and each franchise has its own history, in some cases dating back to the 1880’s and beyond. I’d rather see Pujols play his entire career here in St. Louis, even in the later years when he’s not the star we remember, he’ll always be one of us. As I’m sure you feel about Chipper Jones. Alex Rodriguez might have his number retired in a few ballparks… maybe… but he’ll never be the icon he could have been had he spent his entire career in Seattle, and when its all over, he’ll just be another guy who played for the Mariners, Rangers and Yankees.

In many cases, it truly defines what makes a ‘legend’ compared to a great player. Not many players have the recognition of being a potential legend. Try to seize that opportunity rather than chase the paycheck. I’d take the aging Cal Ripken Jr. over a revolving door of shiny injury prone Reyes’ in a heartbeat for my hometown. Do you think Ripken would have been as cherished if that guy played for six ballclubs? I sincerely doubt it.

Yes (not entirely serious). As a lifelong Sox fan I could not imagine seeing Mark throw for anyone other than the South Side. And I can see the Sox resigning Buehrle if they trade away Danks and Floyd.

I could see Buehrle in St. Louis, only because he’s from here and always wanted to be a Cardinal at some point. His problem now is that the White Sox don’t appear to want to pay him, while at this point he just doesn’t fit into the Cardinals plans, we have 2 ace pitchers, a few really good pitching prospects, an up and comer in Jaime Garcia, and a solid number 4 and 5 with Loshe and Westbrook. Even with a hometown discount included, I don’t think the Cardinals would be willing to spend money on another pitcher, when Philadelphia proved in the division series that it doesn’t matter how many ace pitchers you have you can only pitch one of them at a time and none of them are unbeatable. I just hope he’s loyal to both his home town of St. Charles (St. Louis) and the team that drafted him the White Sox and not betray them both in one contract and sign with the Cubs.

Just saying, JC broke the news about La Russa retireing before anyone else knew it, back in August (when the Cubs were in town). The Cardinals even had a room set up for if the Cardinals lost, but they didn’t lose. So, they pretty much talked La Russa into putting the thing on hold because of the team winning, and told him that they could always announce it when the team gets back from Houston, but then of course the Cardinals ended up playing longer. Also, Brian McKenna a sports talk show host is reporting the samething. So, why not wait until Friday and see if both end up right? Again, just saying.

I’m sure if LaRussa would have announced it during the season, we somehow would have not won the World Series… we’ll never know for sure. Imagine that though, if LaRussa announced this would be his last season, and they go out and win the World Series in the “refuse to lose” fashion they did,

Sign Pujols and trade Westbrook back to Cleveland! There are many teams looking for pitching.. in fact that is the number one seach during FA this year somebody will trade for him especially if we eat some of his contract. Buehrle would take a huge discount to play in St. Louis. Mo do some work man… SHOCK THE LOU!

Westbrook would be interesting with a real infield, he’s a good 4 or 5 starter, I think Buehrle would be a waste right now, we have 2 aces, and won the world series with only 1 of them, Philadelphia had 4 of them and lost in the division series, Invest in a first baseman named Albert, and a middle infield that doesn’t consist of Theriot and Schumaker.

Again, why? its a waste of money, I know he’s from here and has always talked about how he’d want to pitch for his home team, but now isn’t the time. We are maxing out the payroll to resign a legend, thanks in large part to this new annoying little expansion team in Miami content on driving up the price tag. LaRussa, (Yes I know he’s no the manager anymore) always said about ace pitchers “If you’ve got 1, you’ve got a chance”. We already have 2, adding another one doesn’t mean your winning the world series again, look again a the Phillies, their 4 aces lost in the division series, and the season before lost in the NLCS with Hammels, Oswalt and Halladay. We aren’t New York, Boston, Philadelphia or apparently Miami where we can throw as much money as we want out there and not have to worry about what happens if it doesn’t work. You don’t spend money like that on Buehrle at this point, he’s not going to give us a home town discount of 3 million a season, and your not going to find anybody that’s going take all of Loshe’s or Westbrook’s salary. Carpenter/Wainwright/Buehrle/Garcia sounds nice on paper, but it doesn’t automatically mean you win, but it does automatically mean your spending a ton of money on another top rate pitcher when you already have 2, and you managed to win a world series with only 1 of them.

Mo works for the Cardinals and his job is to protect the Cardinals. He does not work for Albert Pujols and Albert alone is not the Cardinals. Would be wonderful to keep him (Albert) but if it takes all winter, I would expect I feel we have to move on and get the rest of the team set. If money is all that Albert is about, then let him play where he gets the most and forget about him here, but if loyalty and winning and the team and city are important to him, he will sign and let the Cardinals and Mo get their work done,so the Cards can get the best team on the field. Albert could become a pariah in the city rather than a hero. I think he is a great player, and probably a good person, but everyone else , just like him, has to look out for their own interests. If he fits in the plans, fantastic, if not, then move on. I hope we sign him, but at only at a realistic value.